inContriving ,ny an'o ilicbemptíoit Y55 theWord war made Fiefh. Add to this, he was not made Chap. IX. as Adam in the perfet}ionof his nature, and beginning L -v --.J the firff frep of his life in the full exercife ofReafon, and Dominion overtheCreatures, but he came into the World by the way of a natural birth, and dependence upon a mortal Creature. The Eternal Wifdom of the Father ffoopt to a frate of infancy, which is moff diftant from that of Wifdom, wherein though the Life yet the Light ofthereafonable Soul is not vifible ; and the mighty God,to a condition ofindigence and infirmity. The LordofNature fubmitted to theLaws ofit. Admi- rable Love,wherein God femed toforget his own Great- net's, and the meannefs of the Creature ! This is more indeared to us by confidering, 2. The Servile frate of the Nature he aífumed. An account of this we have in the words of the Apoffle. Let this mind be inyou, which was alfo in Chi-ill; who Phil. 2. g, 6, being in the form ofGod, that is, injoying the Divine 7' 8. Nature with all its Glory eternally, and invariably. As to be in the formof a King, fignifies not only to be a King, but to haveall the confpicuous marks of Roy- alty, theCrown, Scepter, Throne, the Guards andState ofa King. Thus our Saviour poffeff that Glory that is John i7. s. truly Divine, before he took our nature. The Angels adored him in Heaven, and by him Princes reigned on Ifs. 6.,T, 2. the Earth. 'Tis added, he thought it no robbery tobe equal ['Coy. 8. Is. with God; that is, being the effential Image ofthe Fa- ther, he had a rightful poffeffìon of all his perfedions. Yet he made himfelfofno reputation, and tookupon him theform ofa fervant, and was made in the likenef of Man : this is a lower degree of condefcenfion, than the afluming thenaked humane nature. A Servant is not limply a Man, therebeing many Menof higher qua- lity, but a Man in a low State. Nowhe that was in the formof God, leffened himfelf into the form of a fer- X 2 vaut,
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=